See No Evil
by writerchic16
Summary: Two shot. During one of their vampire talks, Alex and Harper learn something about Juliet they'd have been better off not knowing. Something that maybe Justin shouldn't know either.
1. Part I

See No Evil

Summary: Two shot. During one of their vampire talks, Alex and Harper learn something about Juliet they'd have been better off not knowing. Something that maybe Justin shouldn't know either.

* * *

**Part I**

"So stupid," Alex said around a mouthful of popcorn. After they helped save Juliet from the monster hunters, she, Harper and Juliet were lounging on the Russo living room sofa and watching _Night of the Halloween Sorority Party Disaster 2_. "I mean, the front door is _right there_. But when the killer chases them, they just run into the next room!"

Harper sighed and shook her head. "It's a horror movie, Alex. You're not supposed to think about silly stuff like 'logic' or 'common sense.'"

"Actually, you'd be surprised how many people don't know how to run away from a monster," Juliet said with a laugh.

She and Justin had gone on a date when the monster hunters left, and had come back for Justin's curfew to find Harper, who was sleeping over, and Alex watching horror movies. Tired Justin had gone to bed since he wouldn't be able to spend time alone with his girlfriend anyway, but Juliet stayed since her parents didn't expect her back before sunrise . As a vampire, she could only go out at night, so she just had to be back in her coffin by the time the sun came up.

Though she meant it as a careless joke, her friends didn't take it as such. "Um, h-how..._exactly_...would you know that? Not by, say, first-hand experience, right?" a nervous Harper asked.

The vampire didn't reply right away, and tried to pretend that she was still watching the movie. But Alex could see it in her face, the calculating look that meant she was figuring out what to say. Alex herself knew that sensation all too well. "Wait, you couldn't," Alex suddenly said.

Curious, Juliet glanced at her. "What makes you say that?"

"You just got your fangs. You'd already been dating Justin a while when they came in," Alex remembered. The thought that Juliet couldn't have possibly spent her centuries of existence hunting down and ripping apart her victims made Alex feel a little better.

Harper raised an eyebrow. "That's right! Then...what did you mean, Juliet?"

The remembered fact didn't seem to make Juliet any less uncomfortable. She squirmed a little as she quietly answered, "My, uh, parents. They tell me stories. A _lot_ of stories."

That made sense. Alex had no trouble recalling the time when both her and Harper were almost bitten by Juliet's parents. They clearly didn't have a soul like Juliet did, and the thought made Alex shudder. Even though her parents had chosen to forgive and forget, Alex had to admit that she'd been just a little traumatized at how close she'd come to being seriously injured. "So they...hunt," Alex said, not sure how else to put it.

"Yeah," Juliet confessed. "And even though I didn't get my fangs until recently, I still had to live off blood, so...they provided for me. It's kind of like when your mom brings home food from the grocery store and makes dinner for everyone. I mean....we need to eat."

Her face pale, Harper blurted, "But it's innocent people!"

"I know, I know...believe me, I know," Juliet insisted. She had her eyes slightly diverted, unable to look at the two humans sitting next to her. "I try to convince myself that it's like how humans eat meat. But...it's not the same. It isn't."

The atmosphere had suddenly become serious, tense even, and Alex was slowly taking in the reality of a vampire diet. Oh, sure, they all joked about it, but really they were just dancing around the ugly, gruesome truth. "What...what do you do?" Alex finally asked, even though she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the answer. "How do you...live with yourself? Figuratively speaking."

"Most vampires don't have a problem with it," Juliet retorted, defensive. "Most vampires, like my parents, don't care. They want blood, so they get it. In vampire culture, 'going out to get something to eat' is like how you two would go grab a bite to eat somewhere to hang out. It took me a _long_ time just to realize that what we did was...was wrong. If I didn't have a soul, I never would have."

There was silence again. Alex couldn't imagine...or rather, didn't _want_ to imagine, the world Juliet grew up in. And of course it brought up the question - how exactly _did_ Juliet realize the evils that came with her way of afterlife? It must have been a traumatizing experience to turn Juliet into the human-friendly, heck, human-_loving_ vampire she had become.

But that question wasn't one to ask right then. Juliet was already disturbed by their conversation, and chances were she wouldn't want to relive the experience. Besides, Alex needed to know something else more. "So, if you realized what your parents did was wrong, how are you different?" Alex asked. She knew it sounded like an accusation, a challenge...but she supposed it was. "How do you, well, _eat_?"

"Justin and I don't really talk about it," Juliet answered. She tried to make it seem like she'd fully answered the question, and grabbed the remote. "You know, I've seen this movie already. You want to see what else is on?" But her friends didn't fall for it, only gave her blank, unblinking stares that clearly indicated they weren't going to let the subject drop. With a sigh, Juliet turned off the TV and put the remote down. "I don't kill, alright? I promised myself, and Justin, that I wouldn't."

"Then how?" Harper asked. Both she and Alex were somewhat relieved that their friend, and Justin's girlfriend, wasn't a killer.

"Vampires have to drink blood to live. It doesn't have to be human blood," Juliet explained. "Animals, bugs, you get the idea. There's a whole movement for vampires to go the more humane route, but it's mostly the younger generation. My parents told you that the younger vampires like healthy blood. They neglected to mention that by healthy, they mean animals," Juliet said with a shrug. "These days, humans are filled with artificial flavoring and high fructose corn syrup. Why would you want _that_ taste in your mouth? Yuck."

A little more at ease, Alex and Harper laughed. Alex had to admit that she felt better about the whole situation. While she would never admit it, the idea of her brother dating a vampire had always bothered her, because she was worried that Juliet might get too hungry on a date and just snap. At least now she knew that Juliet actually _preferred_ other sources of blood.

Since she didn't like her sentimental thoughts, Alex shrugged it off and reached for the remote. "Even when my brother rebels and dates a vampire, she's a total goody-goody. Typical Justin."

"You know, Juliet, I admire that," Harper said as they settled back into watching the movie. "You're probably one of the few vampires out there who hasn't taken a human life. You're a role model."

About to laugh, Alex froze when she caught the look on Juliet's face. "Juliet?"

"I didn't know any better!" Juliet exclaimed, which made her friends jump. "I was a new vampire and it was what my parents were telling me to do..."

Shocked, Alex held up her hands. "Whoa, hold on. How...?"

"New vampires have their fangs," Juliet exclaimed through tears that were about to fall. "Like baby teeth. You have them at first, but then they disappear until you reach maturity. New vampires...all they want is blood, a-and my parents were telling me to...do what they did. I didn't know I _could_ life off animals so..." She paused at their horrified faces. "You don't understand! I didn't have a choice!"

Before her friends could find their voices, Juliet walked toward the patio doors, which she threw open. She sighed, then turned to them. "It was centuries ago...and I've regretted it ever since."

Then she turned into a bat and flew away.

Stunned, the remaining two could only stare at the open doors. Finally, as she got up to close them because of the autumn chill, Harper asked, "So what are you going to do?"

Alex knew exactly what she meant. But instead, she turned the TV back on and answered, "Finish watching the movie."


	2. Part II

**Part II**

The next day, Alex was once again sitting on the couch in her living room. However, she was staring at a TV that wasn't on.

Harper had gone home in the morning to get some homework done since school was the next day. But not before having an argument with Alex over the "right" thing to do regarding the Juliet situation. It had been while Harper was getting her stuff out of Alex's room. Alex purposely hadn't said anything about it since waking up, so Harper decided to mention it herself.

_"So do you want to see the new horror movie coming out this week?" Alex had innocently asked. Of course, while she had to do the same homework that Harper was going home to complete, she felt no need to get working on it yet, if at all._

_"I don't know if I'm going to want to see another horror movie for a while," Harper replied with a heavy, dramatic sigh. "After what we found out about Juliet..."_

_Alex wasn't taking the bait, and so continued to scroll through the movies listed on her desktop computer screen. "Okay. There's that adventure one coming out...and before you ask, no, I will not see another Disney cartoon. Even if you bring that kid you babysit as a decoy again."_

_Her avoidance tactic failed to work as Harper abruptly dropped the "subtle" approach. "Alex! You have to tell him! He's dating..." Harper paused, then whispered, "A murderer! As much as you like her, that's what she is!"_

_"Was!" Alex finally said and whirled around in her desk chair. Though she wouldn't admit it, she'd been going over the various arguments about the situation during her near-sleepless night. "Was! She's a good vampire now...shoot, I behave worse than her!"_

_Harper shook her head. "That's not the same thing and you know it! This is _big_, and you have to tell him! You think he's the type who would just be okay with this if he knew?"_

_There was some truth in Harper's words, but Alex still argued, "You just want me to tell him so that he'll stop dating her and be single again! Although I don't know what difference that will make because it's not like he'll suddenly start dating you!" Alex hadn't known her words would sound so hurtful once they were out of her mouth, but she didn't apologize. Maybe it would get Harper angry and off her back for a while._

_But she had no such luck. The insult made impact, Alex could tell, but Harper simply shook it off. "And you _don't_ want to tell him because you don't want to lose her as a friend! You don't care about Justin in this at all!"_

_"I never said I did! Hah!" Alex retorted._

_The two best friends stared each other down, at a stand still in their fight. Harper finally grabbed her bag and stomped out the door, while Alex stubbornly turned back to her computer._

The disagreement had upset her, but Alex had faith that she and Harper would make up as soon as this whole Justin thing was resolved. So all she had to do was figure out what to do _about_ said Justin thing.

Even though she'd put up her usual uncaring front for Harper, she had to acknowledge that she didn't want to tell Justin just because it might wreck her friendship with Juliet. Deep, _deep_ down inside, Alex did have a heart when it came to her brother's feelings. Oh, sure, she didn't care if _she_ was the one who hurt them. But with something like this, where her brother's heart could be broken...that was when she had to play the role of caring little sister. There was no question that Justin would be devastated by the news, and she didn't want to be the one to put that pained look on his face.

On the other hand, while Harper did have ulterior motives, she also had a point. This _was_ big. Did Justin have a right to know? It was a question of morals, and since Alex liked to think she didn't have any, she wasn't the best one to judge.

"Alex?"

At her mother's voice, Alex looked up. While she had been lost in thought, Theresa had walked in from the patio - even though the weather had developed a cool note to it this late in October, it was still nice enough for lounging. "Hey, Mom," Alex greeted absentmindedly. "Get too cold out there for you?"

"A little. Honey, are you okay? You're just staring at the TV," Theresa pointed out, concern on her face.

Instinctively, Alex felt a "no thanks, I'm fine" at the tip of her tongue. Then it occurred to her that her mother might just be the perfect person to help. After all, her mother was older and wiser, and she could be a fair judge because she didn't have anything to gain from either outcome. Besides, even though it was about Juliet being a vampire, the very basic nature of the question was all mortal - do you tell someone you care about something that could hurt him?

Much to her mother's surprise, Alex turned around and asked, "Actually, Mom...can I talk to you about something? You might be able to help me with this."

"Of course!" Theresa replied and excitedly went to sit down on the couch next to her daughter. "I can't believe you want to talk to me about something! I've been trying to get you to open up for years, what with all the shopping trips and..."

Alex held up a hand. "Mom, don't ruin it," she interrupted, and her mother quieted long enough for Alex to start explaining her dilemma. "Anyway, I...found something out about...someone. Something really big and awful that could affect how the person they're in love with sees them. The person didn't tell me to keep it a secret, but I feel like I should...you know?"

There was a brief silence, and for a second Alex simply thought her mother was just trying to work out the vague explanation. But then Theresa suddenly had a determined, worried look in her eye. "What did you find out about your father! Tell me right now, Alex!"

"What? No! It's not Dad!" Alex insisted.

But Theresa wasn't hearing it. "Don't try to protect him! If he's hiding something from me, I'll..."

"Mom, mom, calm down," Alex said. At her mother's anxious look, Alex realized the only way out of this was to tell the truth. "It's about Juliet. But nice to know where you and Dad are on the whole trusting each other thing."

Embarrassed, Theresa managed to regain her composure. "Right, sorry." Then her eyes widened in understanding. "Oh! So what did you find out about Juliet?"

"Um, well, we were talking last night and Harper and I found out that she..." Alex trailed off, not sure if she should continue. Maybe she should've had this conversation with her father - he knew what vampires were like. But her mother didn't, and therefore wouldn't be able to comprehend anything beyond "Juliet killed a human once."

Actually, that might be _humans_...Juliet had to have needed to "eat" more than once when she had her "baby fangs."

Either way, Alex was sure her mother wouldn't understand, in fact, she would probably overreact and demand Justin stop seeing Juliet, who would automatically go from "the sweet vampire girl Justin is seeing" to "the vampire who killed humans." But since her father wasn't so good with the sentimental advice, her mother was her only option for help on this issue.

Alex let out a deep breath. "About Juliet's past as a vampire. Trust me Mom, you don't want to know."

"Oh," Theresa said quietly, and from the worry in her eyes, Alex could tell that her mother was drawing her own conclusions. "Well...how bad is it?"

"That's it...I don't think it's that bad. But Justin might. How are you possibly supposed to know if someone is supposed to know something?" Alex ranted, frustrated. "I know he'll be crushed if he finds out...but at the same time, it's not fair that he doesn't. What do I do?"

"Oh, Alex. Every time I think you're cold hearted and hate your brothers, you show your soft side and I start believing in myself as a parent again!" Theresa replied and gave her daughter a tight hug.

Freaked out by her mother's dramatics, Alex broke the hug. "So yeah, about my problem?"

"Well...I would talk to Juliet, try to convince her to tell him," Theresa answered. "It's not like she swore you to secrecy. Maybe she just needs some reassurance that everything will be okay. And if that doesn't work...you know, if it's not putting Justin in any immediate danger, I say stay out of it. It might be better just to let them work it out themselves."

Alex slowly nodded. The logic made sense. And it worked out in her favor, since she didn't want to tell Justin in the first place. Really, it happened centuries ago, and Juliet was now a mature vampire who wouldn't hurt any human being. Why make a big deal when it wasn't even her place to do so?

And that was exactly the argument she'd use when she told Harper her decision.

"I think that's what I'm going to do," Alex replied. "Thanks, Mom."

* * *

Half asleep, Alex managed to stay awake enough to get through the last few minutes of the magic lesson. They'd been learning wizard history - no actual magic, which of course made the experience much more boring than usual. Her eyes about to close, she snapped them wide open when she caught her father glance her way. "What? I'm listening."

"Really. Then what did I just say?" Jerry demanded, his arms crossed.

Of course she had no idea. Undeterred, Alex raised an eyebrow. "Is it really fair to ask me that question, when you can't answer it every time Mom asks it of you?"

"Nice," Max whispered, and the siblings low-fived behind Justin's back.

Even Justin was trying not to let his amusement show. "She's got a point, Dad."

"Alright, I can see you've all had enough for now. We'll pick this up on Thursday," Jerry said. "Now come on, your mom needs help in the shop."

Max followed Jerry out of the lair, and Justin got up as well. However, Alex needed a moment to wake herself up and leaned back on the chair as she wiped her eyes.

"You coming, sleepy head?" Justin asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Alex said as she got out of her chair and caught up with him. "Gotta say, as soon as he started with 'the first potion was mixed in...', I knew I was a goner."

Justin laughed. "Honestly, I had a hard time staying up too. I was on the phone with Juliet late last night, you know."

"Yeah. Hey, why are you being so nice to me?" Alex asked. Between the weekend, yesterday, and that day, her older brother had been much nicer than usual - she couldn't remember the last dig he made about her lack of book smarts or her total laziness.

They'd been about to walk out of the lair, but Justin stopped at that and turned to her. "I, uh...I've been meaning to thank you."

"Thank _me_?" Alex paused as if listening for something. "Wait...you hear that? If you listen _very_ carefully, you can hear the wings of pigs flying."

"Very funny," Justin replied, with a genuine laugh. "But, um, Juliet told me. And she told me that she told you."

Surprised, Alex didn't know what to say. She'd been meaning to get in touch with Juliet to talk to her about the subject, but she hadn't gotten a chance to yet. Juliet must have done some reflecting of her own after the incident on Saturday night. So why was Justin thanking her? "I don't get it," Alex confessed. "I didn't do anything."

"That's why I'm thanking you," Justin explained. "You could've gotten involved and messed everything up like you usually do, but you stayed out of it and let us work it out ourselves. So thanks for backing off and letting Juliet handle it on her own."

_Wow, Mom was totally right_, Alex thought in amazement. Going to a parent for advice had actually worked out in her favor....maybe she should do it more often. "You're welcome,," she replied, then joked, "So you could say that you owe me one..."

"No, I could say that that _you_ owe me one less," Justin retorted. He'd already done her too many favors to count.

Alex laughed, glad they were back to their usual behavior. "Sure. So...how...are you about this?"

Quiet for a moment, Justin sighed. "I don't know. I'm trying to be okay with it. It's hard to believe that she would...I'm just so in love with her that I don't want to see it. But I have to...I know I can't ignore that side of her forever."

"But it's not a side of her anymore," Alex reminded him. "You can't...you can't let something she did a long time ago change how you feel about her. She's still the same person, isn't she?"

Though it was clear from the concentrating look on his face that he wanted to argue, he realized, once again, that his sister had a point. "Yeah. I guess she is, isn't she? Thanks."

"Yes, another thank you! And I don't owe you another one!" Alex cheered on their way out of the lair, which made her brother laugh. "You'll owe me one day, Justin. You just wait and see."


End file.
